Thermoelectric charge imbalance in superconducting aluminum

The charge imbalance voltage produced in superconducting aluminum by the presence of a temperature gradient and an electric current has been studied over the temperature range 0.5–1.2 K. Measurements were obtained of the magnitude and temperature dependence of the charge imbalance voltage of seven samples, two of which contained magnetic impurities. The data are compared with recent theoretical models of the effect.Research sponsored by NSF grant DMR 78-09428.